1977-2005

1977

Apr. 25 The old Field house burned to the ground, destroying the contractor's equipment, and damaging Cadet Hall, and the Drama, and Radio-TV buildings and automobiles parked on Washington Street.

A poured concrete field house was built during 1977. It was named for Olympic athlete Jim Thorpe. Thorpe, a native of Pennsylvania, had no affiliation with Eastern.

Fall Eastern Washington State College became Eastern Washington University at the start of the 1977/78 school year. The Academic Departments were grouped into Schools and Colleges at that time.

The United States Bureau of Mines and the Geology Department opened a joint Research Center in a frame building next to the Indian Education Center. This building was formerly a private residence.

A new grading system went into effect fall quarter. Letter grades were replaced by a 4.0 decimal grading system.

1978

Jan. 28 Plans for the Aquatic Building placed on hold until money can be appropriated by the Legislature. A new Aquatic building needed to replace the pool and facilities destroyed in the fieldhouse fire.

Feb. 6 Associated Students of EWU (ASEWU) votes to explore feasibility of obtaining a liquor license for a tavern in the student union building.

Jun. 9 Senator Warren Magnuson was commencement speaker.

The Master of Urban and Regional Planning was authorized.

State funding supported classes on the 011 account were approved for Spokane in the leased space at the Bon Marche.

1979

The Red Barn was renovated and became the home of Campus Security and the Visitor's Center for the University.

Feb. The Martin Addition, the wing containing the Education Department, was re-named. The original portion of Martin Hall retained its name. The decision to re-name the education wing for Obed J. Williamson was to honor Dr. Williamson, who had been Chairman of the Education Department in the 1930's and 1940's.

Summer. University employees were allowed to enroll in up to 8 hours of course work.

Credit by examination was discontinued, being replaced by credit through evaluation.

1980

Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree authorized.

Jan. The Big Sky Athletic Conference informed President Frederickson that it was considering EWU for membership in the conference. This would move EWU from small-time intercollegiate leagues to the NCAA.

Feb. Faculty and students began designing an honors program for incoming freshmen.

Mar. The Governor signed a "Students Rights" bill into law, giving students a legal basis for a role in the decision making process concerning the use of Services & Activities Fees.

Mar. Eastern's baseball team became the first EWU team to compete in an NCAA Division I league, part of a move toward major league intercollegiate sports participation.

May 1 The Associated Students proposed a $2,300,000.00 addition to the Pence Union Building, but the Board of Trustees turned the plan down.

May 18 Mt. St. Helens, near Longview, Washington, erupted. The ash from this eruption fell in sufficient quantities to halt all normal life as far east as the Montana - Idaho Border. In Cheney approximately 5/8 of an inch fell. For the next week EWU was closed. A massive clean up campaign followed, with the EWU staff, students, and even some hired high school students working 12 hour days to get the ash off the roofs, drives, and walks around campus. The pace slowed down to eight-hour days after approximately two weeks, but the ash clean up went on for the rest of the summer, and a mask or respirator was standard equipment for much of the summer. By September the ash was not very visible on campus. Despite the problems caused by the eruption, Eastern maintained its normal academic calendar through Spring Quarter.

Fall The Veteran's Housing in Sutton Hall was closed. The building was no longer meeting safety codes for dormitory purposes. Plans were made to remodel the building for office space to be temporarily used by the departments in Martin Hall while that building underwent remodeling.

Sep.27 The basketball court in the Special Events Pavilion was dedicated as Reese Court, in honor of Coach William B. "Red" Reese.

Oct. Plans were made to take Louise Anderson Hall out of the dormitory system, and make it into a Convention and Conference Center, to be called the Regional Center for Continuing Education. A student protest resulted in a compromise: part of the building was used as a dormitory, but the rest of the building was used for conference housing and office space.

The construction of the Aquatics building began.

Fall The Department of Geography merged with Anthropology to form Geography and Anthropology.

Fall The Department of Sociology was formed when Anthropology left it to merge with Geography.

The University Honors Program began operations in the Fall Quarter of 1980.

1981

Jan. The Aquatics Building was completed a month ahead of schedule. This completed the athletics and physical education complex.

Jan. Martin Hall was closed for remodeling. It was gutted, and the overhaul progressed.

Jan 4. Kennedy Library logged onto the SCOLIS network for the first time. The library joined the Spokane County Automated Library Information System, a cooperative inter-library consortium. Advantages were the ability to search for material held by all the libraries in a single data base, and to borrow materials form any member institution. Uniform circulation possible with the computerized circulation system.

Feb. The library added the MEDLINE on-line data base search for health service publications since 1965. The service was the only one of its kind available to the public in the Spokane area at the time.

Mar. Aquatics building opened for use.

Mar. Construction began on a Faculty Lounge on the second floor of the Pence Union Building (PUB). The lounge included a kitchen and portable bar.

Mar. The Education Department establishes Viewpoint: A Journal on Teaching and Learning.

Apr. A cable TV news program, "Eastern View" was created and aired on the Cheney Cable network.

Sep. A day care service was offered by EWU for the first time for students. The university and the ASEWU paid half the monthly cost and the student parent the other half of the monthly cost of the day care service. The service was implemented on a contract agreement between EWU and the Cheney Day Care Center.

Sep. New General University Requirements (GUR) in catalog. Students entering in the fall would need to comply with the new GUR’s.

Oct. School of Business accredited by the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business.

Oct. Campus statistics of note at the start of the year: Enrollment at EWU - 8,500. Campus consisted of 51 buildings on 315 acres of land.

Oct. Proposal to boost the KEWC radio station from 10 watts to 58,000 watts, making it the most powerful FM station in a four state area.

Oct. The parking lot east of Tawanka Commons was closed, and replaced with a grassy mall.

Oct. The Maintenance Shop functions moved from the old Manual Arts Building to Surbeck Services. Planning to build a Computer Center in the old Manual Arts Building began.

Oct. A green house was constructed near the Red Barn.

1982

Feb. The EWU Nursery School was closed due to budget cuts. The nursery school had been associated with programs in Applied Psychology, Home Economics, and Speech Pathology, in addition to serving the needs of students with small children.

Apr. A new ceremonial mace was received, as part of the university's centennial celebrations.

Apr. The Mary Shields Wilson medallion was created. The Wilson medal was to be awarded to graduating seniors demonstrating outstanding academic achievement. The award is named for a former Chairman of the Board of Trustees.

Apr. 14 An official Centennial observation was held on April 14th. Former President Gerald R. Ford was the guest speaker, U.S. Representative Thomas S. Foley of Spokane also addressed the Convocation.

May Former United Nations Secretary Kurt Waldheim was selected as the Commencement Speaker for 1982. After speaking, Waldheim planted a tree on the grassy mall between Patterson and Monroe Halls.

Sep. Athletic Department changes took place following budget cuts in the summer. Men's golf, swimming, soccer, and wrestling coaches were discontinued. Competition in Women's softball and swimming were also discontinued.

Sep. Tuition and fee policy changes became effective. (1) A minimum of 2 credits must be taken per quarter. (2) A surcharge was added for all courses in excess of 18 credits per quarter. (3) Non resident students pay non-resident rates even when attending part-time.

Oct. The proposal to increase the broadcasting power of KEWC appeared to be stalled "indefinitely" because of the tight finances.

Oct. President H. George Frederickson obtained approval from the Board of Trustees to obtain property in Spokane to replace the leased space in the Bon Marche Building following the expiration of the lease in September, 1983.

Nov. 3 President Frederickson announced that EWU had located a building in Spokane, which would meet its needs. The former Farm Credit Bank Building was purchased by the EWU Foundation, a non-profit organization separate from the university for $3,750,000.00.

1983

Washington Student Lobby (WSL) founded. The Associated Students agreed to help fund this by contributing one dollar per student enrolled at EWU.

Feb. Originally EWU had planned to begin holding classes in the Spokane Center in Spring Quarter, 1983. This was delayed until classroom space and added fire escapes were completed.

Apr.28 The EWU Spokane Center was officially opened for use. The four-story structure contained 33 classrooms and space for 800 students.

May The annual Mayfest was canceled, owing to increasing problems with vandalism, under-age consumption, and excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages. The cost of cleaning up after the 1982 Mayfest had been $2,000.00.

Jun. The Board of Trustees approved a $3,300,000.00 remodeling project for the Pence Union Building. A controversy developed over the Board's desire to include remodeling of the book store as part of the project.

Sep. Student photo identification cards issued to all students as a standard practice.

Sep. The university ended free student health care and 24-hour emergency care in Cheney when the contract with Cheney Medical Associates expired.

Sep. Plans to expand and remodel the Pence Union building were shelved. The original estimated cost of the project was $2,600,000.00, but the lowest bid received was $3,400,000.00.

Dec. An attempt to revive the Pence Union Building expansion was made by the Associated Students, who developed a revised plan, which cut $171,000 from the cost.

1984

Jan. Funding for the purchase of the Spokane Center (former Farm Credit Bank Building) by the university was written into the supplemental budget by the state House of Representatives. The measure passed, but included restrictions placed on the university. The overall enrollment was set at 7,000, and EWU was to delay remodeling work on Sutton Hall so that the money could be used to cover the cost of purchasing the Spokane Center.

Feb. Construction of a new Computer Center between Tawanka Commons and Martin Hall was under way. The addition to the Manual Arts Building was demolished, and the old manual Arts Building gutted. A new addition was then constructed on the east and north of the original building.

Mar. The Council for Post-Secondary Education canceled the EWU Industrial Education program for a master of Education degree, claiming that it had low enrollment, and duplicated a similar program at Washington State University.

Apr. The EWU home football games were moved from Cheney's Woodward Field to Joe Albi Stadium in Spokane to accommodate demands made by the Big Sky Conference. The move was part of EWU's work to gain admission to the Big Sky Conference.

May Discussions on the future of higher education in Spokane were conducted by the Spokane Chamber of Commerce. One of the suggested options was the merger of EWU into WSU, and the creation of a large Spokane branch campus for WSU.

May The Big Sky Athletic Conference formally invited EWU to petition it for membership in their Division I Conference.

May Ceremonies honoring Eastern's alumni who died in military service were held. A bronze tablet with their names was installed on the second floor of Showalter Hall.

Jun. Clare Booth Luce was the featured Commencement speaker. Mrs. Luce has been U.S. Ambassador to Italy, a Member of Congress, and an award-winning journalist.

Oct. The State Higher Education Coordinating Committee held hearings on the proposal to merge EWU into WSU. The students, faculty, staff, administrators and trustees voiced unilateral opposition to the proposal.

Dec. The Higher Education Coordinating Committee recommended the merger of the WSU and EWU governing Boards, but the retention of separate identities by both institutions.

1985

Feb. Eastern Washington University and Washington State University agreed to establish a joint center for engineering and technology in Spokane.

Feb. The University Archives received a $40,000.00 grant to inventory and describe records of the City of Spokane held by the Eastern Regional Branch of the Washington State Archives.

May The Temporary University Committee on Intercollegiate Athletics formally recommended that EWU continue its pursuit of membership in the Big Sky Conference. The Board of Trustees accepted the report, despite the opposition of the Academic Senate, which went on record as opposing the plan.

May The presidents of the Big Sky Conference rejected EWU's application for membership.

Eastern became a participant in the Tri Cities University Center at Richland, Washington.

Oct. The university began the removal of asbestos in six campus buildings and the underground utility tunnels.

Nov. A faculty referendum on the administration of President Frederickson resulted in a vote of "No Confidence" in President Frederickson, and the recommendation that he be asked to resign. Frustration over intercollegiate athletics and the merit pay plan mandated by the Board of Trustees helped fuel faculty hostility toward Frederickson.

Nov. The State Legislature approved a $1,500,000 energy conservation project to make buildings on campus more energy efficient.

Nov. The Board of Trustees voted to close the Reid laboratory school. The Board agreed to operate the school for the 1985/86 year, then close it. The Board felt that the training school concept was no longer common in educational theory, and the lab school was an expensive anachronism. A parent-faculty group began meeting with administrators to seek alternative ways of funding the school.

Nov. First meeting of the Spokane Joint Center for Higher Education Board. The Board was created to end the "turf wars" between EWU and WSU and to oversee orderly development of state higher education to serve Spokane. The board consisted of two members from EWU, two from WSU, one from the Community Colleges, and two appointed by the Governor.

Nov. EWU 2000 Committee began meeting to chart the future of the university.

Dec. The Board of Trustees renewed Dr. Frederickson's appointment as President of EWU.

1986

Jan. The Academic Senate passed a resolution calling for an annual campus-wide evaluation of the university president.

Feb. Controversy over intercollegiate athletics continued to be a problem. The EWU chapter of the Association for Higher Education (AHE) filed a lawsuit against the state, alleging that the Board of Trustees had allowed the university to shift funds from academic budgets to fund intercollegiate athletics, in violation of shared governance guidelines.

Feb. A resolution to the Reid Lab School funding problem was reached. An agreement between EWU and the Cheney School District allowed the school to remain in operation, with joint funding from both parties.

Spring The first use of credit cards for payment of university fees and tuition. The cashier began accepting Visa and Master Card as well as cash and checks.

Apr. The Board of Trustees approved the purchase of $225,000.00 of satellite transmitter equipment for use by the EWU Satellite Telecommunications Project. The project was intend to transmit advanced courses to rural high schools, and provide in service training for teachers in the field, and training programs for private businesses.

Apr. The university faculty approved a foreign language requirement for degrees awarded by Eastern. The requirement was to be implemented with the incoming Freshman class of 1987. Successful completion of two years of a foreign language in high school, or a single year in college became a requirement for graduation.

Apr. The School of Business announced the beginning of the Institute for International Business Development. A cooperative agreement was made with the Shanghai Institute of Foreign Trade in China to serve as a sister institute.

May. The Big Sky Conference gave EWU a formal invitation to join the conference as an affiliate member in wrestling for the 1986-87 season.

May 29. President H. George Frederickson announced his resignation as President, to become effective in August, 1987. Dr. Frederickson announced that he was leaving to accept an endowed professorship of Public Administration at the University of Kansas.

Sep. The Telecommunication Satellite program began operation, transmitting to thirteen rural high school districts on a daily basis. Production work was handled jointly by the Instructional Media Center (IMC) and the Radio-TV Department.

Sep. The Harold Balazs statue of Sacajawea was moved from the Rotunda to the rose garden in front of the President’s House.

Oct. The Physical Therapy Department moved from the basement of the Spokane Center to the Paulsen building in Spokane.

1987

Jan. EWU was admitted to full membership in the Big Sky Athletic Conference.

Jan. The Associated Students announced that a two-year attempt to revive a student annual had been unsuccessful. The 1986 Aquila had not reached production, and only 300 sales had been made. Attempts to sell subscriptions to a 1987 edition had been even less successful.

Feb. The Counseling Program of the Applied Psychology Department was accredited, making it the only accredited program of its kind in Washington State.

Apr. Dr. Alexander F. Schilt, Chancellor of the University of Houston, Downtown, was selected to succeed H. George Frederickson as President of EWU.

Apr. The Higher Education Coordinating Board decided to make EWU the preferred provider in Spokane for upper division undergraduate and masters degree programs which are offered by EWU; Washington State University was made the preferred provider of engineering, research, and doctoral programs.

Sep. Alexander Schilt assumed the presidency of Eastern Washington University. President Schilt moved into a house in Spokane, which had been purchased by the EWU Foundation, and did not live in the President's House on campus.

Sep. The upgrading of the KEWU (formerly KEWC) radio station resulted in an increase to 10,000 watts of broadcasting power, and a fully automated compact disc studio, one of the first in the U.S.

Nov. The Mountain West Athletic Conference (women's sports) was merged into the Big Sky Conference, bringing all EWU intercollegiate sports into the Big Sky Conference.

1988

Feb. The Academic Senate mandated an increase from 4 credits to 5 credits for General University Requirement (GUR) courses.

Mar. The first ever U.S. - Soviet high school student teleconference was broadcast live from EWU to students in seven western states and the USSR.

May A campus wide recycling program was initiated at the university.

Sep. Work began on an $18,700,000.00 renovation project for the Science building.

Oct. Eight buildings on the EWU campus were designated smoke free buildings, meaning that smoking would no longer be permitted in them. These were: Kennedy Library, the Red Barn, Music Building, P.E. Activities and P.E. Classroom buildings, Cheney Hall, Hargreaves Hall, and the Spokane Center.

Oct. The Washington State Legislature approved the development of a joint facility to be known as the Spokane Intercollegiate Research and Technology Institute (SIRTI) at the Riverpoint site (former GN/S&IE/Milwaukee freight yard east of Division street, between Trent and the Spokane River). The facility to be shared by Eastern WSU, Gonzaga, the Community Colleges of Spokane.

1989

Jan Kennedy Library reorganized. The new ELIS on-line catalog was intended to replace the card catalog as the standard access point to the collection. ELIS is linked to the Washington State University Library, allowing EWU patrons to search the WSU catalog as well as EWU holdings. EWU ceases being a participant in SCOLIS. Periodicals were moved from the top floor to the main floor.

Jan. A student protest march from the Pence Union building to Showalter Hall was held to protest the shortage of photocopy machines, the use of student moneys to fund intercollegiate athletics, and other concerns.

Feb. 9 For the first time since the Mount St. Helens eruption, Eastern closed its doors. Severe cold and winds caused the closure of Interstate 90 west of Spokane and the closure of the university as well.

Mar. The library officially brought ELIS on line. One of the features of ELIS was ready access to the WSU library holdings database, allowing patrons to search for materials at the WSU libraries.

May President Mikahail Gorbachev of the United Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) approved a sister university agreement between Kalinin State University in the USSR and EWU.

May The School of Business was re-accredited by the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business following a two-year probationary period.

Jun. 9 The former President's House at Eastern was re-named Alumni House, and was converted into office space for Alumni, the Foundation, and other functions.

Sep. Alexander Schilt resigns the Presidency to return to the University of Houston.

Oct. Board of Trustees appoints Vice President/Provost for Academic Affairs, Beatrice D. "Del" Felder, to serve as Acting President to serve the rest of Schilt's term, ending on July 31, 1990.

Nov. EWU planning for classroom space in Spokane to supplement or replace the space in the Spokane Center. Planning for classroom space in or near the Riverpoint site selected for SIRTI is given priority.

Nov. 7 Vice President for Student Services, Keetjie Ramo, resigns to accept a position in Olympia. Search for a replacement begun.

1990

Jan. Director of the Summer Session, Robert Herold, reports on changes to the EWU summer program caused by the elimination of state funding for the summer session. All summer programs will go on self-support, i.e. tuition must cover the entire cost of providing the course. Estimates for summer session tuition for 1990 are $51.00 per credit for undergraduates and $82.00 per credit for graduates.

Mar. 23 Intercollegiate Athletics status. After 18 months of study, the Trustees decide that EWU will remain in NCAA Division I, Big Sky Conference. The decision is made to accept all of the recommendations regarding the athletic program except for the one requiring adherence to generally approved principles for sound fiscal accounting.

Apr. Acting President Beatrice D. "Del" Felder resigns to become Vice Chancellor at the University of Houston.

May Basketball Coach Robert Hofman resigned after an investigation into the operation of EWU's Basketball program began.

Jul. Marshall E. "Mark" Drummond became acting Executive Vice President. The Trustees decided not to name an interim President.

Sep. 20 A new child care center was opened by EWU in the Wren Pierson Building in Cheney.

1991

Apr. Geology Department and U.S. Geological Survey Spokane Field Office enter agreement for joint use of facilities. The U.S.G.S. will make its Spokane laboratory facilities available to EWU students, in return for permission to use lab equipment at EWU.

Apr. 18 Fire in Dressler Hall. An unwatched coffee pot caused a fire which damaged several rooms on the 9th floor of Dressler Hall. No injuries reported.

May The Kurt Waldheim plaque was removed from the Austrian Pine planted by Waldheim in 1982 when he was Commencement Speaker. The University Administration felt that commemorating the visit was inappropriate after the extent of Waldheim's involvement in Nazi activities during World War II became common knowledge in the early 1990's.

May 9 The university hired Spokane City Manager Terry Novak as Vice President for Business & Finance.

1992

Sep. Student Health Care program commenced, the first time student health care has been offered since 1983 when the Student Health Care contact with the Cheney Medical Center was canceled.

Sep. Board of Trustees approves $7,500,000.00 housing project for the campus. Planning commenced for new housing for non-traditional students, mostly single parents.

Nov. 10 A reception was held in Monroe Hall for officers of the National Association for Chicano Studies (NACS) in honor of the decision to place the NACS national office at EWU. Dr. Carlos Maldonado, Director of the Chicano Education program, is also a director of the NACS.

1993

Jan. 4 Classes canceled on Monday, January 4 account severe weather conditions. Deep snow and high winds caused the closure of the campus, as well as Interstate 90. It was the first closure of the campus since the eruption of Mount St. Helens in 1980.

Jan Representative Ken Jacobsen, a Seattle area legislator, introduces a bill in the Washington State Legislature to re-name EWU "Spokane State University."

Jan. The Board of Trustees awards a contract for the construction of the new housing project to the north of the Red Barn. The 75-unit project will be tailored for single parents.

Feb. The Cooperative Academic Library Service (CALS) a joint EWU - WSU library in Spokane opens in the Peyton Building, serving the students of both institutions.

Mar. The sculpture "Branchville," by Robert Lobe, is installed on the mall during the last week of March.

Apr. Representative Ken Jacobsen's bill to rename EWU dies in the State Legislature.

Apr. Executive Vice President Elson Floyd resigns his post at Eastern to become Executive Director of the Washington State Higher Education Coordinating Board on July 1, 1993.

May Tuition for the 1993/94 school year is set. Undergraduate tuition $657.00 per quarter.

Jun. V. Louise Saylor submits resignation as Dean of Libraries, asks that it become effective no later than Jun. 30, 1994 does. Search commenced.

Oct. Fall Quarter enrollment is 8,431.

1994

Mar. 1 Demolition of Rowles Hall commenced to allow for expansion of the Pence Union Building.

May Construction of the addition to the Pence Union Building began. Work tentatively scheduled for completion by the end of the year.

Jul. 1 Patricia Kelly starts her tenure as Dean of Libraries.

1995

May 12 Tawanka Commons thought to have served its last meal and closed the food service function. The building to be used for office space for the next few years. Expanded Pence Union Building opened.

May 16 All campus food services handled by facilities in the remodeled and expanded Pence Union Building. The major food service, Baldy's, opened on the second floor of the PUB addition.

May The State Legislature appropriates funds which enable the Eastern Washington University and Washington State University Libraries to purchase and install an integrated library system allowing all users access to the holdings of both university libraries.

May The Legislature also appropriates funds for the expansion and remodel of Kennedy Library. Construction work begins in the summer.

May Renovation and remodeling of Sutton Hall under way. Entire building gutted, and a new steel frame installed in the brick shell.

Jun. Work begun on an addition to the Kennedy Library.

Sep. The EWU Libraries brings up GRIFFIN, the EWU/WSU online catalog, and a CD-ROM network called Pandora thereby providing students, faculty and community users with a variety of bibliographic and full-text databases.

Sep. ASEWU president Justin Franke ran, unsuccessfully, for a seat on the Cheney city council.

Sep. 28. The campus pre-school in Martin Hall was closed. Concerned students and faculty began planning to lobby for a new pre-school and child care facility on campus.

Nov. 16 President Emeritus Emerson C. Shuck died.

1996

Jan. 2 All downtown Spokane business classes moved from the Higher Ed Center to the Riverpoint campus effective the start of Winter Quarter.

Jan. Faculty vote “No” to proposal for block scheduling of classes.

Feb. EWU offered a contract to students guaranteeing graduation in four years.

Mar. Code Blue safety system operational on campus.

Mar. Students claim that petitions for a new campus child care facility wee being stolen.

Mar. During spring break the Harold Balazs statue of Sacajawea was stolen from the rose garden in front of the former President’s House. The theft was not reported in the Easterner until the May 1, 1997 issue.

Jun. New EWU ID cars to be issued in the fall. The EAGLE CARD to have chip to allow “coin-op” function electronically, a multi-purpose ID, meal card, and key card for staff.

Oct. Construction of new central mall began in the area between the library, Patterson Hall, the PUB, and Tawanka Commons. The Robert Lobe sculpture “Branchville” was removed.

Oct. Low enrollment results in faculty reduction in College of Letters and Social Sciences.

Nov. EWU are the Big Sky Conference champions in football.

Dec. 2 Washington State Senator James West calls for legislation to merge Eastern Washington University into Washington State University. Under the terms of Senator West’s bill, WSU would assume responsibility for higher education offerings in Spokane.

1998

Jan. 8 Board of Trustees responds to Senator West’s merger proposal.

Feb. 12 State Higher Education Coordinating Board moves to end “turf wars” in Spokane. The HECB recommends EWU focus on existing programs, and make its primary campus in Cheney its priority.

Feb. 18 President Marshall E. Drummond accelerates his resignation from the presidency, making it effective immediately. Neil Zimmerman, acting Vice President and Provost was named Acting President by the Board of Trustees.

May 1 The Board of Trustees announced the appointment of Stephen Jordan as President of Eastern Washington University.

Jun. Central mall landscaping and brick pavers completed in time for commencement.

Jul. 1 Stephen Jordan assumed duties as President of Eastern Washington University. The Jordan’s moved into the President’s House on the Cheney campus. They were the first family to live in it since the Fredericksons.

Sep. Architectural and Engineering Services works up plans for the re-modeling of Monroe Hall to make it suitable for office and classroom use. The building has been used as office space since it was removed from service as a dormitory.

Sep. Governor Gary Locke named Aaron Gutierrez the first EWU student member of the EWU Board of Trustees.

Oct. 2 The re-modeled and expanded John F. Kennedy Memorial Library was re-dedicated in a ceremony held outside on the new central mall. President Jordan and Dean Kelley then formally opened the building, and hosted a reception for the campus and community.

1999

May Melisa Dybbro appointed as the second EWU student member of the Board of Trustees.

May 6 President Jordan asks for a 3% increase in tuition.

Sep. Louise Anderson Hall placed back in service as a dormitory after 18 year hiatus. Students moved into their rooms at the start of the term, but construction was not complete in the lounges and some public areas until later in the quarter.

Sep. Demolition work began on Monroe Hall, in preparation for complete remodeling and expansion of the building for use as classrooms and offices.

Sep. A mandatory $35.00 technology fee was instituted at the start of the fall quarter. the fee will pay for improved computing and internet services for students.

Dec. 7 Cheney's municipal Christmas tree was cut down by a group of students, which resulted in strained relations between the University and the City.

2000

Jan. 6 Paul Wulff named as new Head Football coach at Eastern.

Feb. 3 EWU child care center opened in the former receiving warehouse at the corner of 7th and Washington streets. The facility was designed to accommodate 97 children, who could be between the ages of six weeks and ten years.

Feb. 18 Former president H. George Frederickson spoke at the EWU Riverpoint campus in Spokane. He was invited to attend the 25th anniversary of the founding of EWU's Master of Public Administration program.

Feb. 24 EWU announced that it was considering the sale or trade of its downtown Spokane Center as part of a plan to consolidate all Spokane operations at the Riverpoint campus.

Mar. The BOT approved a 3.6% increase in tuition for the 2000 / 2001 academic year.

Sep. 21 The former Jore School, a one-room school house, was moved to campus from its original site near Newport, Washington. The school will become the Cheney Normal School Heritage Center, to promote learning, and honor the university's history of training teachers for work in the rural schools of eastern Washington.

Sep. EWU student Michael Johnson ran for the Washington State House of Representatives. [Unsuccessfully – cvm]

Sep. Record enrollment at EWU, 8,597.

Oct. 12 Pathways to Progress started, to foster economic growth in Cheney, and greater EWU – community cooperation. Ruth Kinnie Jordan (Mrs. Jordan) was one of the leaders of the project.

Oct 19 EWU Union Building used as the Associated Press western headquarters for tallying election results in 10 western states.

Oct. All dormitories full, and enrollment increasing caused the university to consider building a new dorm.

Jun. 16 United States Senator Patty Murry was the commencement speaker.

Jul. 29 The Seattle Seahawks professional football team started a three week training camp at EWU.

Sep. Pathways to Progress announces joint plan to link EWU campus to downtown Cheney with sidewalks that blend with campus walks made of pavers.

Oct. 18 Lech Walesa, past president of Solidarity and of Poland, was the inaugural speaker of the Presidential Lecture Series.

Oct. Enrollment up to 9,029.

Oct. Army ROTC celebrates 50 years on EWU campus.

Nov. 1 Cyber Café opens in the PUB. Although not serving food, this computer lab allows students to bring food with them.

Dec. 6 Barb Richie became first Director of the Division of University Relations.

2002

Jan. 10 Plans for a new residence hall and apartment building at Second and F, on the site of the old Ratcliffe Ford dealership are announced. Demolition begins by the end of the month.

Jan. 31 The ASEWU announces that it will begin to study block scheduling, along with the study being undertaken by the Academic Senate.

Feb. 7 Two EWU faculty members, Roberta Pierce (Mathematics) and James Edmonds (Music) were killed in a tragic auto collision near Four Lakes.

Mar. 14 Robert Brewster, the owner of the dorm project at Second and F announces that the building will be named Brewster Hall to honor his grandmother, Dorothy Brewster.

Apr. 11 Estimated tuition for 2002 / 2003 to be $3,379 per quarter.

Apr. The Senior Class gift to the university to be revived.

May The Washington State Archives breaks ground for a new building, just north of the Anna Maria Apartments, on the west side of Washington Street. The state also plans to place a crime lab to the west of the State Archives building.

May Dr. Peter Dual resigns from his position as Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs. Brian Levin-Stenkevitch assumes duties as acting Provost.

Sep. Brewster Hall opened for use, although much work remained to be completed.

Sep. The first class in the Ph.D. in Physical Therapy program began.

Sep. Governor Locke toured the EWU campus.

Sep. 26 A 14% increase intuition, to $3,357 was approved by the Trustees.

Oct. 17 EAGLE FLEX program instituted, allowing students to use their flex account on their Eagle Card to make purchases at participating Cheney businesses.

Nov. 5 The PUB multi-purpose room was used by Associated Press as the AP Western Election phone center, to collate data on the election returns for distribution to the news media.

Nov. Telephoned bomb threats received at about 11:30 AM cleared the campus.

Nov. The Cheney City Council decided to allow the placement of parking meters on streets around the campus to help regulate parking. Installation of meters on Washington and Elm streets was scheduled for the quarter break in December, to be completed by the start of Winter quarter, 2003.

Dec. 31 The campus Post Office in Pence Union Building closed. The number of box rentals had dropped to about 143 of 800, resulting in a loss of about $20,000 per year.

2003

Jan. 2 Parking meters went into service on Washington and Elm streets near the campus.

Jan. Work speeded up on remodeling Tawanka Commons to close in lower floor area of both wings, and to revise roof and exterior cladding to make the building more harmonious with the other campus buildings.

Jan. 29 Senator George Mitchell spoke on peace in the Middle East and US foreign policy. He was the second Presidential Speaker.

Mar. Expansion of heating plant nears half-way point, new boilers added to carry the added load of new buildings on campus, and fully occupied residence halls. The new boilers were successfully test-fired before the end of the month.

Apr. Skate boarding on campus was a problem. Metal brackets were placed on some surfaces to discourage the practice of grinding the board along the edge of walls, benches, and similar structures.

Apr. The American Indian Studies Program celebrated 35 years of operation.

Apr. An anonymous gift of $1,000,000 was received to pay for a new press box at Woodward Field. Work scheduled to be complete by the 2004 football season.

Apr. For the third year in a row, EWU was named one of the “Great Colleges for the Real World.”

Jun. The EWU – Washington State University joint library online catalog was separated.

Sep. Eastern Washington University’s on-line library catalog included the option to search SUMMIT, a combined listing of the holdings of four year college and university libraries in Oregon and Washington.

Sep. Agreement between ASEWU and Spokane Transit allows EWU students, faculty, staff to use their EWU ID as a bus pass during the academic year.

Sep. Remodeling of Tawanka Commons nears completion. Food service re-opened for the start of the academic year. Office space in lower floor nearing completion. New brick cladding harmonizes with other campus buildings.

Sep. Board of Trustees plans to reduce staffing by 41 positions to conform with reduced state funding for EWU.

Oct. 1. Construction of the new School or Electrical Engineering building began.

Oct. Nicholas S. Peyton named the student member of the Board of Trustees for 2003 / 2004.

Oct. 9 Fall enrollment hit an all time high of 9,178.

Nov. 13 EWU opens an infant and toddler center in Colville as part of its Stevens County Early Head Start program.

Nov. Work begun on state Forensic lab (crime lab) building on EWU campus.

2004

Jan. 15 Enrollment up at EWU, including among minority members.

Feb. 6 A bomb threat, made by anonymous notes posted on the PUB and at the Presidents’ House closed the university for a day. All classes were cancelled.

Mar. 11 The Eagles won the Men’s Basketball championship for the Big Sky Conference.

Mar. 13 David McCullough was the third Presidential Speaker, speaking on the presidency.

Apr. 19 Demolition of the old press box at Woodward Field began.

Apr. 29 The Board of Trustees chose to end the contract with the United Faculty of Eastern when the contract expires in June, 2004. The UFE announced that it was accelerating its drive to obtain official recognition as the bargaining agent for the faculty.

May 20 The Higher Education Coordinating Board approved EWU offering a BS in Electronic Engineering. Planning for admitting the first class in the fall of 2005 was under way.

Jun. Work begun on the Electronic Engineering Building.

Sep. A new Press Box was opened at Woodward Field at the start of the Fall Quarter.

Oct. 20 The ASEWU announce proposal for a new recreation center across Elm Street from the Pence Union Building. Married Student Court would be razed to make way for the new facility.

Nov. 19 EWU faculty vote to have the union, the United Faculty of Eastern, serve as their sole bargaining agent in negotiations with the university. The vote was 336 for, and 46 opposed to the measure.

2005

Jan. 5 EWU and Gonzaga University announce a dual degree program, joining the EWU School of Social Work and the Gonzaga Law School. Graduates of the four-year program may receive both a law degree from GU and Master of Social Work from EWU.

Feb – Apr. The Churchill Matter. An invitation was extended to University of Colorado Ethnic Studies professor Ward Churchill to speak in the spring became controversial by February 4. Churchill’s inflammatory rhetoric was the cause of much of the dispute. His right to free speech was defended by some, including the Faculty Senate, while the administration cited concerns about public safety as their primary reason for canceling his invitation. The Native American Students Association stood by Churchill, paid his expenses, and had him speak to an Indian Studies class during its scheduled class on April 5. Churchill then spoke on the mall in front of the library for twelve minutes.

Apr. 6 President Stephen Jordan selected as president of Metro State College, Denver, Colorado. Vice President and Provost Brian Levin-Stankevitch was made Acting President by the Board of Trustees, effective at the time of President Jordan’s departure.

Jun. 11 Eastern awarded its first Doctor of Physical Therapy degrees at Commencement. Stephen Jordan left campus to begin his duties at Metro State College in Denver, Colorado, and Brian Levin-Stankevitch assumed responsibility for the daily administration of the university.